This blog is set up for Mark & Gretchen Child to keep in contact with all of their family and friends. We have been married since June 12, 1993 and have six beautiful children. Brett is 16, Erin is 14, Kehli is 11, Kendall (Bubba) is 9, Evan is 5 and Adam is 2. We currently live in Kennewick, WA and love the Pacific Northwest!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

My response to United's denial letter #2

September 7, 2016

Thank you for responding again regarding our unfortunate
incident last month. Some of the
information you shared I have not heard before.

You say, “Notes in your flight record indicate that one
of our airport representatives contacted TAM in order to have them reissue the
ticket and they refused.” Who exactly
called TAM Airlines? When did that
supposedly happen? In the immediate
hours following our passenger rights being denied to board the plane and before
I left Pasco Airport, I was personally on the phone with Expedia and TAM
Airlines. Tickets could not be reissued because
we had been entered in the system as “no shows” by United Airlines. All that United Airlines had to do was change
our status in the system. No one at the
airport would do that. No one that I
spoke to on the phone would do that. If
a United Airlines representative would have been willing to do that, TAM
Airlines would have rebooked us on the next available flight. I agree that TAM
Airlines did “own” our tickets. In fact,
Alexandra at TAM Airlines had an itinerary all ready for us but just needed
United to change our erroneously entered status. United Airlines would never make that
happened. We had a very small window
where we could get any part of our ticket refunded and after spending all day
on Thursday, August 4 and most of the day on Friday, August 5 on the phone, I
chose to request a refund instead of lose out on an additional $6,000.

You say, “At that point we did our best to assist
you.” Had United done its best to assist
me, you would have changed our status so that tickets could have been rebooked
at no additional charge and our move to another country would not have been
delayed by an additional week, with no luggage for the first 4 days of
that. That would have been the “best way
to assist me.”

The travel certificates are a nice gesture, but do not
compare to the additional $3064.04 that I had to spend to get myself and four
children to Brazil. A nice gesture would
be a reimbursement check, as well as travel vouchers to allow United Airlines
an “opportunity to provide the service that we deserve.”

Pasco Airport has already taken statements from those
that were involved in the situation on August 4. Clearly they understand that the problem was
created there, and not because we were no-shows or too late to be included on
the flight. I’m sure that if security
footage is pulled from that day it will show that we arrived at the airport,
checked in and got to the gate in time to be included on the flight. I am returning to the states next month and I
am happy to gather that information from the Pasco Airport to forward to you.

My Blogging Buddies

Funny little Evan

Brett was singing "Shine bright like a diamond, shine bright like a diamond" and from the other room Evan sings "Shine bright like a diamond in the sky."

Upon bringing me a brand new pair of pants Evan says, "Can you please put these on sale?" I said, "No Evan we just bought those. Why don't you want them anymore?" He replies, "They don't fit me. They make my hips look big and I don't want to look like that."

I pull up to Evan's first day of Kindergarten and say, "Evan do you want me to walk with you to find your line?" His response, "I know where to go Mom. Room 10. You can just stay here and watch me." :-(

Evan: Mom, do you know Gwen? Me: Yes, Gwen Jarvis? Evan: Yes, do you know that when she kissed me it totally ruined my life? (The kissing happened over a year ago and he just mentioned this week that his life was ruined by it.)

Evan to Brett, "Brett, you can be my friend. And you don't even have to pay me."

We were asking all the kids at dinner what nice thing they did for someone that day. Evan responded with "I shared my coloring book with someone." I told him how nice that was and asked him who it was that he shared with. His response, "No one."

Kendall tooted and Evan turned to her and said, "Wow Kendall, that was impressive."

Adam screamed and threw a fit inside the house for over 30 minutes. I got his shoes, socks & coat (1 arm at least) on, and successfully buckled him into his carseat. Evan turned to me and said, "Mommy, you have sweet skills."